


War

by Monchevy Love (bam469)



Category: Versailles (TV 2015)
Genre: M/M, monchevy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 04:11:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14276625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bam469/pseuds/Monchevy%20Love
Summary: This is my take on what happened after Philippe went to war at the end of season 2 of Versailles.  No doubt it won't match up with Versailles season 3 or history but there you have it....





	War

The chevalier lay in bed trying desperately to focus on not vomiting. He had done as Louis asked and Philippe desired and stopped drinking, stopped the powders, and now he was certain he was dying. No hangover had ever felt this bad or lasted this long. He had wavered between cursing Philippe for not being here to comfort him and thanking God that Philippe was not here to see the decrepit ghost he had become. He lost the battle and vomited into the nearly full chamber pot. He had not eaten in days. Where was it coming from? He weakly lay his sweaty head back on the pillow and moaned. 

Liselotte opened the door and entered. She started to sit on the bed but then thought better of it and pulled up a chair. "Between us, I feel we owe the servants an apology."

The chevalier tried to laugh but the slight movement caused daggers to penetrate his brain in, at minimum, ten points of entry. "Yours, at least, leads to something, a child, a dynasty. Mine is merely punishment for a life poorly lived. In fact, I grew desperate enough to pray for it to end about an hour ago. Clearly, God hath forsaken me."

Liselotte laughed. "It will end eventually. I spoke to the doctor this morning and he thought tomorrow you should begin to feel better."

"Is that the same doctor Philippe threatened to blind? I would take his words with a grain of salt. He is more interested in breathing than the practice of medicine," the chevalier said. He quickly threw himself over the bed and vomited again. 

Liselotte stood and held the chevalier's hair back until he finished.

The chevalier lay back on the pillow. "Thank you," he said weakly. "I may have it shaved off."

"I cannot quite imagine you bald," Liselotte said. She dipped a cloth in cool water and placed it on his sweaty forehead. 

The chevalier sighed. The cloth helped. "Why are you being kind to me?"

"Because you're suffering and, as someone who is constantly nauseous, I thought we might stick together," Liselotte said. 

"You're far kinder than I deserve," the chevalier said quietly. "I wasn't kind to you."

"You were not," Liselotte agreed. 

"You were right about me," the chevalier said. "I was scared. Terrified that I would lose him."

"What happens between us is only duty. He loves you," Liselotte said.

"He loves you too," the chevalier said. "I was afraid that he could only love one of us."

"You think his heart is so small?" Liselotte asked. "From what I know of him, I would say it is the opposite. He is all heart and can easily love both of us. Louis even."

The chevalier smiled weakly. "The hardest part was that I knew that he would love you the moment I met you. You are lovable. I love you despite trying very hard to hate you." 

Liselotte smiled. "You're lovable yourself when you're not insulting me or falling to drunken pieces."

"The terms you laid out before...they are acceptable to me," the chevalier said quietly.

"I am happy to hear it though I would slightly alter one term," Liselotte said.

"Which one is that?" the chevalier asked.

"I think we can do better than just being civil to each other. I think we can be friends," Liselotte said. 

The chevalier looked a bit surprised. "I don't really have any of those. Other than Philippe."

"Well, then, I'll have no competition," Liselotte smirked. "Number one on the list!"

The chevalier sat up against the pillows, distraction working wonders for his symptoms. "So if we're to be friends, I would be remiss not to teach you the card games of the salons."

"I thought the queen outlawed gambling," Liselotte said. 

"She can outlaw whatever she'd like. She can lock up the wine. But we are French," the chevalier said with a smile. "Her inquisition holds no power here. If it did, Philippe and I would have been burned at the stake after our little party ended up with that poor girl floating in the fountain."

Liselotte grimaced at the memory and took the cards out of a nearby drawer. She cleared away bed covers and sat on the bed facing the chevalier. "What game will you teach me first?"

"Jeu royal de la guerre. We shall play for macarons for the sake of the queen's backward sensibilities," the chevalier smirked.

"Are you sure you can be in such close proximity to food?" Liselotte asked teasingly.

"I shall persevere," the chevalier confirmed.

 

"I must confess that I am not sure I enjoy the salons," Liselotte said a bit nervously, still holding onto the chevalier's arm. "I do not understand these people."

The chevalier smiled. "There is nothing to understand. Simply a large group of prisoners hiding behind the mask of their choosing." He considered for a moment. "Yes, I can see why you find them disturbing. You're the only one not wearing a mask."

"Do I need one?" Liselotte asked.

"No. Masks are for cowards and you, my dear, are one of the bravest people I've ever met," the chevalier said sincerely. "I, however, am a coward and so...." He adjusted his face and led them into the room with characteristic arrogance and bravado. He spotted a table with appropriate people and two empty seats and headed that way smiling a smile that did not reach his eyes at the various people he passed. 

The people at the table saw Liselotte, stood, and bowed to her. 

"I see you've all met the Duchesse d'Orleans," the chevalier said. 

"I'm so sorry but I can't say I remember your names," Liselotte admitted. 

"I am the Countess d'Auvergne and this is my husband, the Compte d'Auvergne, Madame," the countess told Liselotte.

"Is that what they call each other in bed?" Liselotte wondered aloud to the chevalier.

The chevalier laughed. "May we join you? The duchesse has recently learned jeu royal de la guerre and is anxious to try out her new skills."

"Of course. It would be an honor, Madame," the count replied pulling out a chair for Liselotte. 

"We are, of course, only playing for fun," the countess said, eyeing the queen in the corner of the room.

"But of course," the chevalier said. "Why else would we play?"

 

"I am quite relieved we are not playing for money," the count told Liselotte. "I am afraid you would own our chateau by now, Madame."

"You are sure you've only just learned?" the countess asked.

"I had an excellent teacher," Liselotte said and smiled at the chevalier. 

"She is a natural talent. Like her husband," the chevalier said. He felt a pang of sadness with the mention of Philippe.

"We read in the Gazette today that the war is back on track," the count told Liselotte. "Your husband has solved many of the past issues." 

"You must be so proud, Madame," the countess told Liselotte.   
"We are quite proud of our Philippe," Liselotte confirmed, smiling at the chevalier.

"Proud but not surprised. He's always been destined for greatness," the chevalier confirmed. "He just needed the opportunity to shine."

"And then there are others who had greatness and lost it," the countess said and cast a glance at Madame de Montespan sitting by herself in a corner of the salon.

Liselotte and the chevalier followed her glance. 

"I heard that she is required to stay here but she no longer has the king's favor," the count said.

"Could not have happened to a more deserving person," the countess said bitterly.

"Did I not see you playing cards with her just a few weeks ago?" Liselotte asked with an edge to her voice . "One would have thought you friends." 

"That is the thing with court friends, my dear. Like fashion, they are ever changing," the chevalier said. "One day, everyone is wearing red and the next day, only a fool would be caught dead in it. What did red do? No worse than anyone else here but alas, red is out and there is no way back in." 

 

The chevalier sat in front of the fire, a glass of wine in one hand and Philippe's robe in the other. He had glimpsed it under the bed this morning, unseen by the servants, and now...now he was sitting in the dark smelling it. He had been stalwart since Philippe's departure to the front after nearly breaking into sobs in front of the entire court when he left. And now this...this robe had been his undoing. 

There was a knock at the door and Liselotte entered. "Are you ready..." She stopped speaking as she surveyed the scene. The shutters still tightly shut, the chevalier, the robe. There would be no stroll in the garden before mass today. She was surprised he had lasted so long. She pulled a chair next to him and sat down. "Is that Philippe's?"

"I found it under the bed this morning and...." He felt the tears start again.

Liselotte reached over and took the chevalier's hand. "Today's Gazette talked of a great victory that sent the Dutch back considerably. It should not be long now."

"I know I'm being foolish. It's barely been a month but...." 

"You miss him. You will find no judgment here. I miss him too. The baby kicked this morning and he missed it," Liselotte said.

"He kicked?" the chevalier asked allowing himself to be distracted per Liselotte's plan.

"A small one but yes," Liselotte said. "He sleeps now. He is nocturnal like his father, I fear."

The chevalier laughed. "Indeed. His vampiric ways took some becoming accustomed to when we first met. Almost worse than his perpetual tardiness."

"How did you meet? I do not believe I've ever heard the story," Liselotte said with a quick glance at the chevalier to gauge whether the question provided distraction or further distress. 

The chevalier smiled. "It was my first day at court and he was magnificent and I looked like a glorified stable boy thanks to my father's insistence on taking 'Master of the Horse' quite literally and making me and my brother, Louis, act as servants."

Liselotte laughed. "I'm sure you exaggerate. It couldn't have been that bad. He fell in love with you after all."

"I'm not sure he noticed but I was suitably mortified," the chevalier insisted. "No doubt there was hay in my hair when I met him and he was regal beauty personified. A fairytale prince on a white horse. I'd come out to tell my father that one of the Arabians had an abscess on its hoof...a message that I am certain I failed to deliver. He was so beautiful, I could only stare."

"He must have thought the same of you," Liselotte said.

"Well, he did lose control of the horse and I would certainly like to take credit for that," the chevalier said with a smile. 

"How old were you?" Liselotte asked.

"I'd just turned 15. He was 17," the chevalier said and squeezed the robe a bit tighter. " I fell in love with him as soon as I laid eyes on him." 

"I did not realize how young you both were," Liselotte said. "He was not yet married to Henriette?"

"Louis wasn't even married to Marie Terese yet though the court tittered with the news of it," the chevalier said. "Whether having a Spanish queen would bring the ways of the Inquisition here."

"I will need a moment to try to imagine my brother-in-law and an Inquisitor," Liselotte said with a smirk.

The chevalier laughed. "We would all be burned at the stake."

"I have heard that Henriette was beautiful," Liselotte said.

"On the outside," the chevalier agreed. "Her heart was another matter."

"Because she was sleeping with the king?" Liselotte asked.

"For so many reasons but that was one. Not just sleeping with him but others as well if she thought doing so would hurt Philippe," the chevalier said. "When Marie Louise was born and she was informed of the sex, she wanted the baby drowned in the Seine."

Liselotte looked shocked. "You exaggerate. No mother could think that of her child."

"I am not exaggerating. She said it in front of Philippe and his mother. I imagine she was even more disgusted when she learned the child looked like Philippe and not Louis," the chevalier said. 

"There was a question?" Liselotte asked.

"Many thought there was no question...that the child must be Louis'...but from the moment she was born until today, she looks exactly like Philippe," the chevalier said. 

"So if everyone knew, why didn't the Church make Louis stop like they did with Montespan?" Liselotte asked. "Was it not the same? Perhaps worse even since she was his brother's wife?"  
"Everyone knew but they didn't KNOW," the chevalier said. "Their relationship allowed them to be together publicly without appearing to be together. Think of how much time you spend with the king in public." 

"We're basically required to follow him around like loyal dogs," Liselotte said.

"Exactly," the chevalier said. "But Athenais had no reason to be near the king in public and yet she still was and so Rome stepped in."

"One would think that sleeping with your brother's wife is a far greater sin than sleeping with a stranger's wife," Liselotte said. 

"One would think sleeping with your husband's brother would not pave your way to a glorious afterlife either," the chevalier said.

"Then why did she do it? Is Louis so irresistible? Did she hate Philippe so much?" Liselotte asked.

"It was like she blamed Philippe for Louis choosing duty over love, marrying Spain over marrying her. That is really how Philippe and I became...not so discreet. Philippe decided that if they could openly flaunt their affair, we could openly flaunt ours." 

"I am not sure that is a completely correct analogy considering...." 

"...that our affair is punishable by death? I would have agreed had I been in my right mind but as previously mentioned, I had lost that the moment I saw him," the chevalier said.

"Do you regret it?" Liselotte asked.

"Not for a moment," the chevalier said. "I would choose this a thousand times over if it meant I could stay with him. Something my family could not understand."

"Your family?" Liselotte asked with a hint of surprise.

"Did you think me an orphan?" the chevalier asked with a laugh. "My father is dead, may he rot in hell, but the rest are still alive and well not that any of them are allowed to speak to me though my youngest brother, Charles, occasionally disobeys."

"You were disowned because of Philippe?" Liselotte guessed.

"Yes though I'm sure my father had considered it before Philippe. Philippe was just the proverbial last straw. Even my brother, Louis, sided with him despite being supportive when we were being 'discreet'," the chevalier said.

"I'm sorry," Liselotte said. "For what it's worth, it seems to me that sometimes you are better off with the family you find rather than the family you were born to."

The chevalier looked at Liselotte. "You do not get along with your parents?"

"I do. Well, my father. Sometimes. It's complicated. Their marriage was not a happy one. Even by arranged marriage standards. They were violently unhappy with each other."

"Is that why you try so hard with us?" the chevalier asked. "So you do not have to go back there?"

Liselotte nodded. "I do not wish to go back there and be married off again. The next could be far worse than this. Philippe is kind to me and we have solved the...erection...problem."

The chevalier laughed. "Ah yes. A solution sure to get a failing grade from the Inquisitors."

Liselotte laughed and put her hand on her stomach. "It worked."

"It did though it kills me to lay in bed and wonder...."

"What if he suddenly found women attractive? I assure you that won't happen," Liselotte laughed. 

"My rational brain knows that but my irrational brain...the part that found the robe this morning...is far more imaginative," the chevalier explained. "And he does love you."

"But he's not in love with me. He's in love with you and always will be," Liselotte said.

The chevalier smiled.

"I am a bit jealous, I suppose," Liselotte admitted. "Not that I yearn for Philippe to fall in love with me. I know it is an impossibility. But to have someone feel about me the way you feel about him, to feel about someone the way he feels about you.... Ridiculous really. I had never even considered such a thing before I met the two of you."

The chevalier took Liselotte's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it lovingly. "I cannot give you that but Philippe and I can give you love."

"That is a lot for a marriage based in duty. I will take it," Liselotte said. "If you will agree to walk with me after mass."

"Of course, my dear," the chevalier said. "Alexandre will need his daily exercise."

"Do you think Philippe will like the name?" Liselotte asked.

"We named him after a great war hero just like his father. I think he will like it," the chevalier said. "It is what he's always wanted. To be like Alexander, the Great. Louis as well but he is not good at it like our Philippe is."

"I am surprised he allows his brother to upstage him," Liselotte said.

"It is evidence of just how desperate he is to rid himself of William of Orange," the chevalier said. "The first time Philippe went to war, the Gazette was also full of flattering portrayals of Philippe's heroics and the next thing you know, Louis has signed a cease fire despite being on the verge of just winning the whole thing outright."

"So it would be him and not Philippe who won the peace," Liselotte surmised.

"Philippe was furious. That was the beginning of us leaving Versailles and returning to Saint-Cloud permanently," the chevalier said. "That Louis would sacrifice the lives of soldiers to keep Philippe from a moment's glory...it ate at him. That he trusted Louis and ordered the soldiers into harms way. Soldiers who trusted him. He blamed Louis for the needless deaths but worse, he blamed himself for not seeing it coming."

"Do you think Louis will do it again?" Liselotte asked.

"We shall see. The Gazette becomes more glowing each day and the court is tittering about Philippe's exploits," the chevalier smiled and then said mischievously, "the best part is the reaction of the Royal Guard upon his return. They are soldiers, of course, and word spreads. He is quite beloved by the men."

Liselotte laughed.

"Not what I meant! A wicked mind," the chevalier said and laughed. "I often wonder how much Louis knew about you when he chose you."

"What do you mean?" Liselotte asked.

"That you would be the way you are. Funny and honest and...I don't know...that you would make us better," the chevalier said. "But it's Louis. No doubt, he just wanted something from Germany."

"Something he took by force anyway," Liselotte said quietly.

"Louis' inability to see the personal consequences of his actions is the unifying motif of his life," the chevalier said. "I cannot count the number of times Philippe has been on the receiving end of what I would like to believe is not so much malice as just thoughtlessness though the end result is the same. Someone I love in tears."

"You mean Henriette?"

"Henriette certainly but more than that. Just a long string of everyday indignities and then he wonders why Philippe does not wish to live here. Not that anyone wishes to live here. We are all his caged pets," the chevalier mused. 

"And where does that leave you?" Liselotte asked. 

"A necessary evil exiled at will when Philippe does something he doesn't like and brought back when he needs Philippe's cooperation," the chevalier said. 

"Would not Philippe be more willing to stay here if Louis just made it a pleasant experience for him?" Liselotte asked.

The chevalier laughed. "You are assuming that we are dealing with a rational man rather than the paranoid lunatic that we are."

"There are plots against him though," Liselotte reminded the chevalier.

"People plot against him because he refuses to share the power and everyone can see that he drowns in it. He cannot bear to see anyone shine but him. Case in point, the cease fire when last Philippe went to war not to mention the abysmal way Louis treated him afterward. When Philippe went to debrief on the war, Louis told him to leave. That the men were working. Anyone but Philippe would have ripped the crown off his head at that point. He had the support of the military and the nobles. But Philippe loves Louis, they were raised as true brothers, and he would never do it no matter how much Louis gives him cause."

 

The chevalier walked through the hall to the salon to meet Liselotte. He did not see Athenais until he had nearly run into her. 

They looked at each other in surprise, unsure what to say.

"You look well...considering," the chevalier said.

"No gloating remark about a dying swan?" Athenais asked bitterly. "Give it your best effort. Everyone else has."

The chevalier was silent for a moment. "I have no mean spirited barb for you. So sorry to disappoint."

Athenais looked confused. "I do not understand."

"I have heard only rumors of what you did to keep him but whatever it was...I am sure I have considered worse," the chevalier said quietly. 

"What was your secret?" Athenais asked.

"I fell in love with the brother who was born with a heart rather than without one," the chevalier said. "Though I've only recently realized that. So no insult from me, I'm afraid. I came too close to walking in your shoes to be casting stones now."

"I only wanted him to love me always," Athenais said quietly, her eyes damp with tears.

The chevalier squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. "I am so very sorry for you, my dear." He let go of her hand and walked past her into the salon.

 

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Liselotte asked with a bemused smile for the chevalier who stared at himself in the full length mirror, his fingers coaxing an errant curl into place. She had been watching the ceremony for what felt like hours, vetoing outfits, assuring him that his eyes did not look puffy, trying not to laugh. 

"Yes. No. Not really," the chevalier admitted. "Not at all. What time is it?"  
"I believe you have time to change your outfit a couple more times if necessary," Liselotte said with the smallest smirk.

"You're enjoying this a bit too much," the chevalier said. "I missed him. Is that so wrong?"

Liselotte's smirk turned to a sympathetic smile. "I know you did and I know you've been worried about him as have I. I really didn't start laughing until we got to the fourth outfit. You look quite handsome. I wouldn't change a thing." She got up and took the chevalier's hand. "Maybe some breakfast while we wait?" 

The chevalier allowed himself to be led to the table and away from the mirror. He nibbled nervously on a grape. 

"He will be happy to see you. You could be wearing rags and he would still think you beautiful."

"It is not just that," the chevalier admitted. "We had barely found our way back to each other when he left. What if the time away...."

"Stop. No more listening to the negative voices, remember?" Liselotte said sternly. "Just because he is out of your sight for a moment does not mean he will have second thoughts. Your love is strong enough to let him go and know that he'll come back."

The chevalier smiled slightly. "Thank you. I needed that." He helped himself to a pastry and ate it with a bit more gusto. "What did you eat for breakfast, my dear?"

Liselotte let out a groan. "I had an egg, porridge, milk, and fruit as per your orders."

"Not my orders. The doctor's. Alexandre needs these things," the chevalier insisted. 

"Did you monitor Henriette's diet as well?" Liselotte asked with some bitterness.

"Henriette did not eat anything ever which was not conducive to healthy babies it turns out," the chevalier said. 

"Perhaps she too could not stand French food," Liselotte complained. 

"We cannot have Alexandre coming out with a taste for bratwurst," the chevalier said with a wink. 

Liselotte laughed despite herself. "No, we cannot. There is enough of that going around."

"Talking of which...."

"Five minutes since you asked the last time," Liselotte said indulgently. "Were you this mad last time he went to war?"

"Only in my head. I had no one to share it with last time," the chevalier said.

"And did he judge what you were wearing or whether a curl was out of place?" Liselotte asked teasingly.

The chevalier's face darkened remembering the last time. "No, he didn't judge my curls but...he was not himself."

"What do you mean?" Liselotte asked.

"Just different. More aggressive. Even in bed. It was a bit alarming actually," the chevalier said. 

"I have heard of men coming back from war not the same. What was he like before?" Liselotte asked. 

"More submissive, I guess. They were not all bad changes and the truly disturbing behavior lessened fairly quickly and left the good changes. It was the first time in his life he'd been allowed to really excel at something and it gave him more confidence than I had ever seen in him," the chevalier explained. "But it also gave him nightmares and...sometimes he would be confused. Like he wouldn't know where he was. But that faded."

"Do you expect him to come back changed?" 

"I do not know," the chevalier admitted. "If he is confused again then we'll deal with it."

The double doors opened and Bontemps entered. "They're approaching, Madame."

The chevalier felt his heart skip a beat in anticipation.

"Thank you, Bontemps. That is excellent news," Liselotte said. "Shall we?" she asked the chevalier. "Or do you need to change again?"

"You could not resist?"

"I could not," Liselotte said with a laugh. 

The chevalier stood and offered his hand to Liselotte helping her from the chair, the baby making movement increasingly awkward for her. He offered her his arm which she took. "After you, Bontemps."

 

The chevalier stood nervously in front of all the court waiting for Philippe. Liselotte still clung to his arm though he suspected she was providing him strength rather than the other way around. He was grateful to her for that. 

The carriage approached and the chevalier could already see Philippe on his white horse riding beside it. He smiled and let out the breath he had not realized he was holding. Philippe was well and he was back.

Philippe saw the chevalier and smiled at him. He fought the urge to jump off the horse and run to him, throw himself into his arms and never let go. Protocol demanded that the king disembark first and so he resisted. Barely. Instead he satisfied himself with staring at the chevalier, still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

The chevalier saw Philippe staring at him and returned the stare. Leave it to Louis to take a year to get out of the carriage when all the chevalier wanted was to feel Philippe in his arms. 

Louis climbed down from the carriage as the court cheered him as if he were the conquering war hero. He walked through the crowd enjoying the congratulations he received. The court followed him as he headed toward the palace.

Philippe dismounted and walked to Liselotte and the chevalier with what dignity he could muster wanting nothing more than to sprint to them. He kissed Liselotte on the cheek, his hand on her stomach and then turned to the chevalier. Love won the battle over perception and protocol and he kissed the chevalier on the lips, lingering there as his hands cupped the chevalier's cheeks.

The chevalier kissed Philippe, his hands finding their way under his coat to his waist to pull him close. He heard some muffled gasps from the dispersing crowd but cared not at all. Philippe was his again and that was all that mattered. 

They broke for air and the chevalier said, "welcome home". 

Philippe smiled and leaned back in for another kiss, his hands encircling the chevalier's waist pulling him closer.

"Perhaps we could retire to our rooms?" Liselotte suggested. 

Philippe rested his forehead against the chevalier's. "That may be wise."

The chevalier laughed. "This is a bit public. Even for us." He offered his arm to Liselotte who took it.

"I get no arm?" Philippe asked. 

The chevalier smiled and offered his other arm to Philippe. 

 

The trio entered their rooms still arm and arm. As the door closed, Philippe grabbed the chevalier and kissed him much less chastely than he had done outside, his tongue in the chevalier's mouth, demanding, promising.

The chevalier returned Philippe's kiss, his hands automatically working on the ties to Philippe's breeches. 

"I believe I'll take a nap," Liselotte said. "I assume the two of you can amuse yourselves in my absence?"

Philippe reluctantly took his lips off the chevalier's. "Liselotte...are you well? How is the baby?"

Liselotte laughed. "We are fine and we are not offended to wait to have this discussion until other matters have been dealt with."

"You are a very good wife," Philippe said gratefully. 

Liselotte went to her room for a nap.

The chevalier smiled at Philippe. "So what shall we do to amuse ourselves? Cards? Charades?"

Philippe laughed. "Charades definitely," he growled pulling the chevalier against him. "Why are you still dressed?"

The chevalier smiled and used Philippe's ties to lead him toward the bedroom. "You want to play naked charades?"

Philippe nodded, allowing himself to be dragged into the bedroom. He shed his coat and vest quickly.

"Someone's in a hurry," the chevalier said as he reached their bed. "Was there something I could help you with?" he teased. 

"You are cool and collected?" Philippe asked a bit disappointed. "You did not miss me?"

"You are ridiculous," the chevalier said rubbing against Philippe. "I may die if I cannot have you immediately." He ripped Philippe's shirt off and pulled down his breeches, taking in hand the object of his desire. 

"Then why are you still wearing so many clothes?" Philippe asked, roughly removing the chevalier's coat and vest and shirt. He finally found skin and bent to suck on a nipple while he untied the chevalier's breeches and pushed them down to the floor. 

The chevalier moaned as bare skin met bare skin. He could wait no more and pushed Philippe back on the bed, crawling on top of him. "I have missed you, darling." He kissed Philippe and moaned as Philippe guided him inside. "I see you have missed me too."

"Mmm...so much...." Philippe moaned and shifted so the chevalier could go deeper. "Yes...oh Philippe...."

"How much did you miss me?" the chevalier asked as he thrust deeper and harder. 

"Oh...yes...missed you...." Philippe moaned incoherently, drowning in waves of pleasure. He pulled the chevalier down for a kiss that turned into a moan as the friction of their bodies stimulated his cock. 

The chevalier thrust harder as he wrapped his hand around Philippe's cock knowing that neither of them were going to last long. 

"Oh...Philippe...I can't..." Philippe moaned. "Ohhhhh....." The tremor shook his entire body. 

The chevalier shuddered as his own orgasm shook him. He collapsed on top of Philippe gasping for breath, his heart thudding in his chest. He felt Philippe's arms and legs encircle him and smiled. He had missed his cocoon. 

 

Philippe gently wound his fingers through the chevalier's curls that flowed across his chest. He breathed in the slight lavender scent of him and smiled. It smelled like home. "Are you awake?"

The chevalier answered with a contented mumble. "I really missed you."

Philippe smiled. "I really missed you too." He paused and considered. "Not just since I've been gone but before...."

The chevalier cringed slightly. He knew the conversation was coming but.... "If we're going to talk about that, I must insist you bathe first."

"Bathe? What are you suggesting? Do I smell?" Philippe asked in horror sniffing himself. He did not smell anything but lavender but then perhaps he had become immune to it. "It rained only a few days ago."

"Rained?" the chevalier asked incredulously. He sat up straddling Philippe. "That settles it. Bath. Now."

"You didn't seem to care a few minutes ago," Philippe pointed out.

"A few minutes ago, my cock was about to burst. Now, my nose has a say in the matter." He turned to the door and yelled, "his highness would have a bath NOW!"

Philippe smelled his hair. "I believe you are exaggerating."

"I assure you, I am not," the chevalier said. He bent down and kissed Philippe gently on the lips. "If you will get in the bath, I will bathe you and wash your hair."

Philippe considered the offer. "You will be in the bath with me?" he confirmed.

"I will," the chevalier said 

Philippe smiled. 

 

Philippe and the chevalier padded on bare feet into the next room with the steaming bath.

"Out!" the chevalier ordered the servants who quickly scattered. "After you."

Philippe stepped gingerly into the marble tub and sunk into the steaming water with a moan. He watched the chevalier step into the tub, admiring him, feeling himself stir with desire at the mere sight of him. 

"See something you like?" the chevalier asked with a smile.

Philippe nodded. "Very much so. Perhaps you could come over here so I could inspect the goods more closely?"

The chevalier laughed and waded over to Philippe who reached out for him. "No touching the goods until after you are clean!"

Philippe pouted. 

The chevalier kissed Philippe until the pout disappeared. He wrapped his legs around Philippe's waist so they were chest to chest and then reached for the orange scented soap. 

The movement caused Philippe to moan slightly and squirm trying to get closer to the chevalier.

"No! I said no touching the goods until after you are clean," the chevalier said. He lathered the soap in his hands and then rubbed it into Philippe's hair, massaging his scalp. The look of pleasure on Philippe's face and the close proximity of Philippe's wet, bare skin to his own stirred him despite his words.

Philippe closed his eyes enjoying the massage, the feel of bare skin. His eyes fluttered open in surprise as he felt hard flesh rubbing against his own. "Yes?"

"Not yet," the chevalier said still massaging the soap into Philippe's long ebony locks. "Rinse."

Philippe obeyed putting his head under the water to rinse off the shampoo. He re-emerged and reached out to pull the chevalier closer to him. "Now?"

"Not yet," the chevalier said though his body protested. He picked up the soap again. He rubbed the soap on Philippe's chest, stomach, working his way down slowly. He soaped legs and then worked his way back up to inner thigh....

Philippe moaned. "Please...."

"Not yet," the chevalier said huskily. "Turn around so I can wash your back."

Philippe shakily turned away from the chevalier. 

The chevalier rubbed the soap on Philippe's back, his other hand on Philippe's lower stomach. He lathered up that hand. "I'm not sure I got this well enough." He rubbed the soap on Philippe's cock.

Philippe moaned loudly. "Please. Now....."

"And then there's this area," the chevalier whispered in Philippe's ear as he rubbed the soap between Philippe's cheeks. 

Philippe pushed against the chevalier. "Now...I need you...please. I can take no more."

"Tell me what you need," the chevalier said still soaping front and back.

"I need your cock inside of me...thrusting...now...God...please...."

"Like thus?" the chevalier asked as he entered Philippe. He shifted the soap to his other hand and continue to soap Philippe's cock. 

Philippe groaned and pushed back against the chevalier. "Deeper." He moaned as the chevalier complied thrusting deeply, water splashing over the sides of the tub. "God...yes...there...oh Philippe...yes...."

The chevalier continued to thrust knowing that Philippe was lost in pleasure, knowing and loving every noise he made in that state. "You are so beautiful. I adore you, my sweet mignonette," he whispered in Philippe's ear. 

"How much?" Philippe asked breathlessly as another wave of pleasure hit him. He moaned. "Oh Philippe...."

"More than anything, anyone...you are everything to me. I would do anything for you, my love," the chevalier said. "I cannot exist without you. I worship you." He placed kisses down Philippe's back. 

Philippe turned his head to the chevalier. "Kiss me."

The chevalier kissed Philippe. He shifted slightly to thrust even deeper into Philippe.

Philippe moaned as another wave of pleasure overtook him.

The chevalier stroked Philippe's cock in time to his thrusts knowing they were both hanging by a thread. "Come with me." He kissed Philippe again and felt Philippe shudder in his hand. He let go deep inside Philippe, moaning loudly as Philippe squeezed him tighter. He felt Philippe shuddering beneath him, no longer in control of his body. He felt them both slipping under the water but could do nothing about it. No muscle was his to control. 

Philippe came up first sputtering and laughing. "We nearly drowned!"

The chevalier wiped water from his eyes, laughing. "I can think of no better way to go. Buried deep inside of you, overwhelmed by pleasure."

Philippe leaned over and kissed the chevalier. "Nor can I." 

 

Philippe crawled onto the clean sheets and lifted the covers for the chevalier to join him.

The chevalier crawled under the duvet and nestled himself against Philippe. "Mm. You smell good."

"You were perhaps not wrong about that bath," Philippe conceded. "Though if you were hoping I would forget what we were talking about before my odor offended you, you are wrong."

"I had hoped...."

"You put a pistol in your mouth and pulled the trigger. I cannot just ignore it," Philippe said, shifting to look into the chevalier's eyes. "Did you mean to kill yourself?"

The chevalier sighed in defeat. "In that moment, yes," he confessed quietly.

"Why?"

"Do you really not know?" the chevalier asked with surprise. 

Philippe shook his head slightly.

The chevalier considered for a moment. "Until recently, I thought you loved me more then I loved you and there was safety in that. Parity. Yes, I was financially dependent on you but you were emotionally dependent on me and it made us equals... but then things started to change and you started becoming the extraordinary man that I always knew you were but then I started wondering what use would that man have for me?"

Philippe shook his head sadly. How could this man think such a thing when the truth was that he was everything to Philippe? How could he not know that?

"It was hell being trapped in Italy, so far away from you, wondering who was sharing your bed, if you loved them more than me, if you still loved me at all.... And then I returned to Liselotte and Thomas and it felt like you were slipping away from me and the more I felt like that, the more it hurt because I was wrong. So wrong. I love you more than you love me. It is I who is emotionally dependent on you. You are everything to me. My love, my family, my heart, my soul...losing that, losing you...being drunk and high was the only way I could survive it but then that stopped working and I just needed the pain to stop...." He felt the tears running down his cheeks. 

"You weren't losing me...." 

"I was," the chevalier said. "Though I was making it happen...the more I feared losing you, the more I made myself into someone no one would want. Someone you didn't recognize."

"I was terrified when it happened," Philippe said softly. "Terrified that I would lose you."

"And nothing makes you angrier than fear," the chevalier said. 

Philippe considered arguing that point but knew that the chevalier was right. "I should have...helped you somehow."

"You did help me," the chevalier said. "After you left me, I laid on the floor sobbing for awhile. Long enough to become thoroughly disgusted with who I had become. I didn't recognize me either and it was a turning point."

"You are better now?" Philippe asked softly as he brushed away the chevalier's tears with his thumb. 

"I am," the chevalier said. "Thanks to your wife."  
Philippe looked confused. "My wife?"

"She really is quite remarkable and her advice is much more constructive than the ugly voices in my head."

Philippe smiled. "So you've given up your declaration of war?"

"It was half-hearted anyway. Though I am not at all sorry about Thomas."

"You were fortunate that he was a spy...had you shot Louis' historian in the back, he may not have been so forgiving," Philippe said seriously. "I do not know how I could survive another exile. Please keep your war games in the salon from now on."

The chevalier thought that would be easier if Philippe would stop flirting with every human in his vicinity but banished the negative thought. "All future revenge will be in the form of public shaming, my love. I vow it."

Philippe smiled. "I would never deny you such pleasure." 

"Is there any pleasure you would deny me?" the chevalier asked suggestively.

Philippe shook his head and smiled as the chevalier pushed him onto his back and laid down on top of him.

 

Philippe lay on his stomach, eyes beginning to droop as the chevalier lazily painted masterpieces on his back with a finger. 

The chevalier stopped suddenly. "Where did this come from?" He carefully touched a wound on Philippe's side. 

Philippe lifted his head to see where the chevalier was pointing. "Bayonette, I suspect." He put his head back down. 

"Bayonette, you suspect????" the chevalier asked incredulously. "You're injured? Have you seen a doctor?" He felt fear rushing through his veins. "You could be serious...."

Philippe interrupted the chevalier's tirade with a kiss. "I am not hurt. You are not losing me. Just breathe, Philippe." 

The chevalier took a breath. "I can't lose you. Not ever," he whispered. 

"You won't," Philippe said with a gentle finger against the chevalier's cheek. "I am yours. Forever."

"You must vow to me," the chevalier said. 

"I vow it," Philippe said seriously. "You will never lose me."

The chevalier took a breath and smiled. 

"Better?" Philippe asked.

"Yes but...just in case...I've decided to make myself useful. If you are going to plan for the future than I will too," the chevalier announced with a touch of pride. "I have already begun."

Philippe looked confused and then his face fell as he realized. He had known that the day would come but.... "You are taking a wife," he said quietly trying to keep the tears out of his voice. 

The chevalier looked confused. "A what? NO. Why would I do that? One wife between us is plenty. Sometimes, I really do not understand the way your mind works."

Philippe looked relieved. "You could, of course. I...I know what you sacrifice for me...a family...."

"I have a family, my love. You are my family. Your family is my family. Which is why I am planning for the future. The future of...our family," the chevalier said the last part very quietly, unsure whether he had overstepped.

Philippe smiled and kissed the chevalier softly. "Our family."

The chevalier smiled and then continued. "Liselotte told me that you wanted to build a dynasty and an empire like Louis and while I obviously cannot help with the dynasty...."

"...if only you could! How much easier life would be," Philippe said. 

The chevalier smiled wistfully and then continued. "I can help with the empire. I've already started actually...there are thousands of acres of uncut timber near Orleans that just need a method of transport which...." He noticed Philippe's bemused grin and took offense. "What?!? I am capable of more than just spending your money and...and...servicing you!" He sat up, the sheets sliding away from him, revealing nakedness.

Philippe involuntarily looked.

"Is that all you think I'm good for?" the chevalier asked, outraged. 

"Well, you are VERY good at it," Philippe said with a grin. 

The chevalier glared at Philippe.

Philippe's smile faded. "You are really angry?" He sat up and crawled toward the chevalier, his face solemn. "I know that you are capable of doing more than spending my money and...servicing me. I just was not aware that you knew it too."

The chevalier took a calming breath. "I may have forgotten for a moment or two."

"It makes me happy that you want to help," Philippe said. "Finances bore me but I do not want my children and grandchildren to be financially dependent on the monarchy like I am."

"Then let me help you. I used to be quite good with finances when we were younger. Remember the lending business that my brother and I used to have before...."

"...before they all disowned you because of me," Philippe said softly. "You have sacrificed everything for me and I have not...."

"The sacrifice would have been living without you, my love," the chevalier said softly, kissing Philippe. "Let me secure our family's future."

Philippe nodded. "Thank you...though...do you need to secure it at this moment?"

The chevalier laughed. "I think it can wait until tomorrow." He pushed Philippe down on the bed, kissing him. 

 

A few hours later, the chevalier slept soundly on top of Philippe who was snoring softly, his arms around the chevalier. Their legs entangled together. Naked. 

Liselotte cautiously opened the door and when she saw no movement opened it the rest of the way and walked in. She surveyed the scene and then purposely ran into a bedside table causing a book to fall onto the floor with a thump.

The two men stirred slightly. 

"So if I barely touch you with my foot while sleeping, I get a 30 minute lecture on staying on my side of the bed but he gets to sleep on top of you?" Liselotte asked with mock astonishment. "What a double standard!" 

Philippe laughed sleepily. "He's warm. Your foot is cold." 

The chevalier smiled and snuggled closer to Philippe. 

"A likely excuse," Liselotte huffed. "It's nearly time for dinner."

"I am a bit hungry," Philippe admitted. "Though...." He looked down at the chevalier's naked body on top of his.

The chevalier propped himself up on Philippe's chest. "We should go. Everyone will want to congratulate you on your victory. The court has been buzzing about it for weeks."

Philippe smiled slightly. "I would enjoy that and I am quite hungry." 

"Clothes it is," the chevalier said with a sigh as he rolled off Philippe and climbed out of bed. 

"I'll leave you to it," Liselotte said and walked toward the door. "Will you help me?" she asked the chevalier.

"Of course, my dear. I've already managed to get this one into a bath so we shan't be long," the chevalier said walking to the closet.

"Oh good. I'd hoped we were on the same page with the bath," Liselotte said.

"I did not smell!" Philippe insisted indignantly. 

Liselotte laughed. "Of course not, my husband. Not at all." She left.

"Let's get you dressed," the chevalier said with clothes in his arms. 

Philippe grabbed the chevalier around the waist and pulled him back into bed. "Clothes later. First...."

 

"You really are incapable of arriving anywhere on time," Liselotte said as Philippe and the chevalier finally emerged, fully dressed, into the Orleans private salon. "I thought perhaps arriving late to pick me up when we first met was a fluke."

"Trust me when I tell you, it was not," the chevalier said.

"I am not always late," Philippe insisted.

"Name one time when you weren't," the chevalier demanded. "Just one time."

Philippe thought.

"You cannot because it has never occurred. Now let us go to dinner. I'm famished," the chevalier said and took Liselotte's arm in one of his and Philippe's in the other.

"The time we went to Chantilly," Philippe said in a victorious tone.

"Only because I told you we were leaving 30 minutes before we actually were," the chevalier replied.

"You did not!"

Liselotte laughed. "You probably shouldn't have confessed to that. Now he knows your trick."

 

At dinner, Philippe sat between Liselotte and the chevalier, the chevalier's hand discreetly on his thigh under the table. Rich food, good wine...he felt himself begin to nod off and jerked his head up. 

"I told you he would make it through the dessert course," the chevalier said to Liselotte. "She thought you wouldn't make it past the soup."

"You were so tired," Liselotte explained.

"You were betting on how long it would take me to fall asleep in public?" Philippe asked.

"She has not had nearly 20 years to become acquainted with your incurable sweet tooth," the chevalier said. 

"I am quite tired," Philippe said. 

Louis approached the table. "Brother, I would speak with you."

"Of course," Philippe said, stood up, and walked over to stand with Louis.

"You look exhausted," Louis said.

"I've been fucked, fed, and forcibly bathed and now I am a bit sleepy..."

Louis shook his head. "Must you..."

"Honestly, I do not sleep well at the front," Philippe admitted derailing Louis' burgeoning tirade. "So many things to think about. Strategies, contingencies, possible traps. By the time my mind has calmed enough to sleep, it is morning."

Louis put aside his annoyance and gestured to the chevalier who joined them. "Take my brother to bed before he falls down."

"With pleasure," the chevalier said with a small smirk.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Brother, I would ride out after lunch tomorrow. You will accompany me."

"Of course," Philippe said sleepily. 

 

The chevalier led Philippe into their bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

Philippe's eyes drooped as he laid down on the bed.

"My poor, sleepy mignonette," the chevalier murmured as he took off Philippe's shoes. He took off the rest of Philippe's clothes careful not to wake him and then took off his own. He slid into bed beside Philippe, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his ebony curls. He breathed deeply of orange blossom and said, "sweet dreams, my love."

 

Liselotte entered Philippe and the chevalier's dark room and opened the shutters to let in the sun. "You can't still be sleeping. It's nearly time for mass."

There was no movement from the bed where the chevalier still had his arms wrapped around Philippe. 

"I'm not going alone so you're going to have to wake up," Liselotte said sitting down on the bed less than gently. "Cold water is coming next."

Philippe turned his face into the pillow. "Too tired."

The chevalier opened an eye to judge how serious Liselotte was about the threat of cold water. Deeming her to be quite serious, he sat up. "Did we miss our walk?"

"We did but you were both so sweet all curled up and sleeping, I couldn't bear to wake you," Liselotte said. 

"The poor thing fell asleep before I even got his shoes off last night," the chevalier said gently stroking Philippe's hair.

"The poor thing would still be sleeping if some people would be quieter," Philippe mumbled into the pillow. 

"Really not a morning person. We should probably wear necklaces of garlic around him," the chevalier said with a smirk.

Liselotte laughed. "Give him a nice coffin to sleep in."

"I do not like where this is going. When did you team up against me?" Philippe asked removing his face from the pillow. 

"We would never team up against you, my love," the chevalier assured Philippe with a kiss. "We were just having a bit of fun."

"You are a grouch in the morning though and there is the issue of mass being mandatory," Liselotte said.

"Since when?" Philippe asked.

"Since Athenais was replaced with the two-woman Spanish inquisition of the queen and Scarron," the chevalier said bitterly.

"Scarron? The governess?" Philippe asked with confusion. 

"Scarron, the heir apparent to Athenais' seat at the table," the chevalier said.

"I believe she is the Marquise de Maintenon now," Liselotte corrected.

"He gave her a title?" Philippe asked. "She's the governess...and isn't she quite a bit older than us?" 

"The heart wants what it wants," the chevalier said with a smirk.

"She seems...nice," Liselotte added lamely. 

"And what about Athenais?" Philippe asked.

"Shunned by everyone. Forced to stay at court," the chevalier said. 

"I should check on her," Philippe said. "The wreckage left behind by my brother is never pretty and she was usually nice to me. Unlike the queen who looks at me like she is certain I will burn in hell."

The chevalier laughed. "Indeed, she has that look down. Certainly, her viewpoint has not improved since you told her you had a few people over for prayer and things got out of hand."

"She tempts me to rub my ass on the bible and hand it to her," Philippe grumbled.

"I think my father was right about you," the chevalier said. 

Liselotte laughed. "So, on that thought, do you think you might get dressed for mass?"

Philippe and the chevalier laughed. "Yes, I think we're in the right mindset," the chevalier answered.

 

Philippe, the chevalier, and Liselotte sat at the dining table having finished lunch.

"So what is this grand entertainment anyway?" Philippe asked.

"The one in your honor?" the chevalier asked. "Your brother swore us to secrecy."

"And your loyalty is suddenly to him?" Philippe asked.

"Fair point but I'm still not going to tell you," the chevalier said.

Liselotte laughed. "Can you not abide the suspense?"

"I am merely curious. Give me a hint," Philippe begged.

"I will give you one hint," the chevalier said and pulled Philippe out of his chair. He danced with him across the room making him laugh. He kissed him as the door opened and Louis entered. 

Philippe and the chevalier stopped kissing but did not let go of each other as they turned to look at Louis. 

"Brother, what brings you by?" Philippe asked.

"We are riding out this afternoon. Did you forget?" Louis asked.

Philippe looked genuinely confused.

"You agreed last night shortly before you fell asleep fully clothed," the chevalier volunteered. 

"If he was merely sleepwalking from the soup course on, I win the bet," Liselotte told the chevalier.

"Dare I ask?" Louis asked Philippe.

"You should not. Let me get my boots," Philippe said and walked into the bedroom.

"How do you fare, Liselotte?" Louis asked.

"Well, the vomiting has stopped so I feel quite well right now," Liselotte said. "Please thank the queen for her prayers. I am sure they were quite effective."

The chevalier bit his lip to keep from laughing and engaged himself in pouring a glass of water. 

"I will let her know. She will be pleased," Louis said. "Madame de Maintenon also prayed for you."

Philippe returned in riding gear. "Shall we?" He turned to the chevalier and Liselotte. "Don't wait for me for our walk. I'll catch up." He followed Louis out.

 

The brothers raced through the forest neck and neck on white steeds. Philippe reached the finish line first beating Louis by two feet. 

They slowed the horses down and dismounted letting the horses wander.

"A hard fought race, brother. I will win on the way back though," Louis insisted.

"We shall see," Philippe said.

"So you are done letting me win?" Louis asked.

"It does you no favors," Philippe said. 

Louis laughed. "It will be all the sweeter to defeat you if you're actually trying."

"Keep that in mind when you lose again on the ride back," Philippe said with a smirk. "So you wish to discuss the war effort, I assume. A firsthand account of William of Orange running away with his tail between his legs?" 

Louis laughed. "A very detailed account, yes, but it's not why I wanted to talk to you."

"Then what?" Philippe asked warily.

"You always assume the worst about me," Louis said.

"I only remember my history," Philippe said. 

Louis bit back a sarcastic response. "You seem happy," he said.

Philippe considered the repercussions before answering. "I am."

"You have worked things out between your wife and your lover," Louis said.

"They have worked things out for themselves actually," Philippe said. "Why do you ask?"

"There is no need for suspicion. I am merely enquiring after your welfare," Louis insisted. "You are happy at Versailles? You will stay?"

"I will," Philippe said with only a moment's hesitation. " Thank you for what you did for Philippe. Being emotionally and financially dependent on me was causing him...and me...great stress."

"He has been a model citizen while you've been gone," Louis said. "A faithful companion to Liselotte."

"He is a good man, brother," Philippe said. "I know you don't agree but...."

"His response to someone hurting you was to kill them without hesitation. My estimation of him is considerably higher than it used to be," Louis said. 

Philippe looked surprised. 

Louis sighed and put his arm around Philippe. "You are my brother, my family, and I love you whether you believe it or not."

Philippe smiled. "It is easier to believe when you are like this."

"So there is something I wished to talk to you about," Louis said.

Philippe braced himself.   
"I would make you lieutenant general of the French army," Louis said. 

"You would what?" Philippe asked. 

"You heard me and it is not a request just in case my tone was not clear," Louis said. "You are lieutenant general of the French army. I will announce it tonight. I am telling you now so you will have time to prepare an appropriate reaction."

Philippe stared at Louis in shock.

"That is the reaction I was hoping we could avoid in public," Louis said. "And you should not be shocked. It is clear to everyone that you are some sort of strategic genius where military matters are concerned. You see what others do not and the men follow you without question."

"You are serious?" Philippe asked.

"Yes, I am absolutely serious. From this moment on, please consider keeping France safe and secure from her myriad of enemies your problem," Louis said. 

"Thank you. You will not regret this, brother," Philippe said.

"I know," Louis said. "I have no doubts."

Philippe smiled. "I believe I can muster an appropriate public reaction."

"Good," Louis said. "Perception is everything and I want this entertainment to be well received." He turned to his horse.

"Brother, wait," Philippe said.

Louis turned back, his turn to look wary.

"Are you well? I'm told you've been spending time with Scar...Madame de Maintenon."

"She has become a dear friend," Louis said. "Do you not approve?"

"I do not know her very well though I confess to being a bit surprised," Philippe said carefully.

"Why surprised? She is a caring, intelligent, and devout woman," Louis said.

"Devout indeed," Philippe said and then paused to see if Louis would volunteer more.

"You think I should not be with a devout woman?" Louis asked.

Philippe said nothing.

"Louise was devout," Louis reminded Philippe.

"Louise was a hypocrite with a cross nailed over the bed you fucked her on before you continued on to your wife," Philippe said. 

Louis looked surprised but said nothing.

"Is this one also a hypocrite?"

Louis paused. "She is not."

Philippe looked surprised. "You aren't...."

"No," Louis said. "She...respects my marriage vows."

Philippe laughed.

"It's not funny," Louis said.

"It's bloody hysterical," Philippe said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I...nothing," Louis said quietly. "We talk."

"My God, you're serious," Philippe said.

"Some adults can have a relationship without sex," Louis insisted. "I'm sure that is foreign to you...."

"You think Philippe and I only fuck? We've been together for nearly two decades. If we were just fucking, we would have tired of each other years ago." He paused thoughtfully. "If you've found someone you can talk to, who can see inside you to who you really are, then...I'm happy for you."

"Is that who he is to you?" Louis asked.

"Yes."

"You were barely more than children when you met. How...."

"We just knew," Philippe said. "We saw each other and not just the mask. I think it is very rare."

"I feel like she is changing me," Louis said.

"Are you changing or merely becoming the man you really are?" Philippe asked. "For me, it was the latter. The Philippe I was when I met him would not be Lieutenant-General. He was terrified of everything, sure that he lacked worth, that he belonged in the shadows but he saw who I really was until I saw it too."

"You thought that of yourself?" Louis asked surprised.

"I was raised to think that of myself," Philippe replied. "As you were raised to think you were anointed by God to save us all."

"Our mother could be quite convincing," Louis said. 

"She knew what you needed to believe to be king and what I needed to believe to let you and she convinced us of it," Philippe said. "Maybe now that you're older, you don't need to believe it anymore though...they do." He gestured toward Versailles. "They need to see you as king."

"She sees the man," Louis said.

Philippe smiled slightly. "It's a rare sighting. Thank you for trusting me with him today."

Louis nodded. "I would very much like us to be close like we were as children."

Philippe began to speak.

"I know that I am the reason that we are not but I do love you, brother, and my intention is to be better," Louis said.

"I would like that, brother," Philippe said. 

"I will still have to embarrass you in our race back to the palace," Louis said with a mischievous grin.

"You are welcome to try," Philippe said with a laugh as both men ran for their horses.

 

Philippe paced with excitement in his private salon waiting for the chevalier and Liselotte to return from their walk. He heard the guards' movement and walked quickly to the door, greeting them as they entered. "Finally, you've returned!"

"Were we expected earlier?" Liselotte asked. 

"I thought you were going to join us," the chevalier reminded Philippe.

"I couldn't tell you my news in public," Philippe exclaimed, a bit manic. 

"What news? Do tell before you burst with it!" the chevalier said with a smile. "What did the king want?"

"He wanted to tell me that he would have me be Lieutenant-General of the French armies," Philippe said still not believing it was true. 

"That's wonderful news, husband," Liselotte said giving Philippe's shoulder a squeeze. 

Philippe smiled at Liselotte and then looked into the chevalier's eyes needing his approval. 

The chevalier's head raced between fear of more war, more separation and the knowledge that this was what Philippe had always wanted and then settled on the latter. He put his hands on Philippe's face, looking into his eyes. "I am so very proud of you, my love. I know that it is all you have ever wished for."

"Not all," Philippe said softly as he rested his forehead against the chevalier's. "I could never have done this without you."

"That is not true...."

"It is true. I believed in myself because you believed in me. Everything I am is because of you," Philippe said quietly with absolute sincerity. "Thank you."

The chevalier felt tears welling in his eyes and tried to blink them away. He kissed Philippe tenderly. "I adore you."


End file.
